No doubt about it: If the Drive you are using to rip with EAC is caching audio data, the 'Drive caches audio data' Box (Drive options... / Extraction method) have to be checked (ticked).

But how can you know if your Drive is caching audio data?

Of what I have read on this forum, you should run 'Detect Read Features' (Drive options... / Extraction method / Detect Read Features). If the result is: Caching: No => You're OK! If the result is: Caching: Yes => You have to checked the 'Drive caches audio data' Box.

Well... The problem is, many people are saying that the 'Detect Read Features' is NOT accurate!!! (How do they know that??) That means even if you perform 'Detect Read Features', you are still not sure if your Drive is caching audio data, or not.

MY QUESTION IS: How can I know if my Drive is Caching audio data, or not?

The EAC detection feature is not accurate because sometimes it reports caching, sometimes not, for the same drive.Sometimes, EAC reports no caching while Feurio does. We have 2 or 3 examples of this, but none of the opposite. It is too few to draw any conclusion of Feurio's detection accuracy against EAC.

To know if your drive caches :Ask EAC. If it says yes, then it caches.If it says no, try Feurio. If it says yes, then it caches. If it says no, try the following :

If your drive supports C2

Enable C2, uncheck cache, and find a CD lightly damaged, that triggers error correction (red lights), but still give you no errors on a range which triggers the first red bar at least 20 times. Test and copy this range.

If the CRC are the same, your drive doesn't cache.If the CRC are different,

Check cache and try again.

If you can't get "no error" anymore, it is likely that your drive caches. Whatever, leave it checked, since it obviously make the secure mode work properly.If you still get no errors, but CRC are OK, your drive caches. If you get no errors and CRC still mistmatch, find a less damaged CD, or try a shorter range.

If your drive doesn't support C2, ...But also valid if it supports C2.

Check cache, and try to find a CD lightly damaged, so that it reports no errors, but which the first red bar filled at least 20 times, and CRC are OK.Uncheck cache. Test and copy.

If you get errors, find a less damaged CD or range.If you get 100 % quality (no red bars) and CRC mismatch, your drive caches. If you get 100% quality and CRC are OK, find a more damaged range or CD and try again. If you still get red bars, but CRC mismatch, your drive caches. If you still get red bars and CRC are OK, your drive doesn't cache.

I fully agree with the rest of your instructions, but here is a sentence that contradicts with what I have in mind: I don't see how a caching drive with cache unchecked, can cause any red bars. Here is my reasoning: AFAIK the red bars are only triggered due to a difference in the 2 audio sector reads. However the caching drive with cache unchecked will always return the same cached data, without any differences and thus without triggering the red bars.

the red bars are only triggered due to a difference in the 2 audio sector reads. However the caching drive with cache unchecked will always return the same cached data, without any differences and thus without triggering the red bars.

Am I overlooking something?

It is only true if the cache is bigger than 62 kB. If it is smaller, only a part of what EAC reads is cached (EAC reads by bursts of 62 kB).